There’s a big gap in most podcaster’s minds between what marketing looks like, and what it actually is supposed to be.
Even from the inside, as an entrepreneur, business owner, or marketer, It’s easy to get distracted by the tools and tech, each newer and shinier than the last, and forget that at its core, effective marketing is about one thing and one thing only.
Effective marketing is about building a connection with your audience.
This connection can wind through many phases, from the initial introduction to establishing your brand’s identity and values as compatible with those of your listener’s, to becoming a trusted source and even taste-maker, to ultimately driving listeners to your products, winning the sale, and even creating repeat customers.
A Sale Is Not Just One Decision
It’s easy to think as there being just one important decision a listener has to make, that being the obvious choice of whether or not they will take the next step in their relationship with you and buy or not.
The reality, however, is that there is a series of continual “next steps” in the process, and the goal with our marketing is to meet our audience where they’re at and help convince them that we either are or are not the right person to help them take the next step on their journey.
That’s right, part of our marketing strategy should be clearly conveying the message that some people should not continue engaging with us, they should not keep listening to our show, they should not buy from us, they maybe even should turn and run to another podcast, product or service provider in our niche.
Ultimately, we want to develop an audience that is bought in, enrolled in our process and aligned deeply with our values and the change we are trying to create in the world.
When we think about marketing in this way, as a series of smaller, non-monetary “sales”, moving our listeners on a journey from vague awareness, to interest, to a deep sense of trust and enrollment, our marketing strategy actually becomes a lot more straightforward.
Tech + Tools Can Only Get You So Far
It becomes less about the copy on our sales page, A/B testing Facebook ads to multiple different audiences, our funnel sequencing, agonizing over our price point and the million other things we often think of as what marketing is.
All of these things have their place and can prove useful, but they’re all short-term strategies that will get you short-term results.
These tools will all be replaced by something else soon enough, but what won’t so easily be replaced is the connection, the trust, the relationship you’ve built with your audience.
By viewing marketing simply as another way of saying “relationship building,” you’re able to keep your compass needle pointed in the right direction and ensuring that everything you’re doing to promote your work and our brands is being done with the goal of connecting with the people you believe you can help.
Start The Conversation
The sooner you start approaching marketing as an ongoing conversation with your audience, with the goal of finding common ground, listening to their challenges, and then offering your relevant solutions, the sooner you’ll start building a deep relationship built on empathy, respect, and trust.
There’s no tech or shiny tool that can do this for you, that’s what makes it hard. That’s why most marketers don’t put in the time, effort, and emotional labour required to build these relationships
But that’s also why this approach is your secret weapon.
If you can show up generously, again and again, see your audience, listen to them, and continually help them level up, one step at a time, you’ll build raving fans who will be with you for life.
I’d like to see an automated email sequence do that.
Jeremy travels full-time, loves long-distance cycle touring, and will always look back on the day he finally saved up enough money to buy the Millennium Falcon Lego set as one of his proudest achievements. He believes that the way to grow sustainable businesses is by leading with heart, vulnerability, and helping your people be and become their best selves.
- Why Wouldn’t They Just Google It? - March 14, 2021
- Before You Can Market Your Podcast, You Need To Create A Marketable Podcast - March 11, 2021
- Podcast Promotion & Marketing Are Different (Here’s How to Use Each Effectively) - March 10, 2021
